Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger: IM Takes A Big Step Forward

Yesterday's news that Microsoft and Yahoo! have finally released clients that allow interoperability between their various Messenger clients is very good news, even if it comes a little late. There are those who say that this isn't really a big...

There are those who say that this isn't really a big deal. After all, products like Trillian have allowed messaging among multiple clients for a long time. Indeed, Microsoft and Yahoo! Have been promising such interoperability for years; and Google for instance has supported standards for interoperability.

But in practice, as much as we like them, most people don't use third-party clients, they use the clients from Microsoft or Yahoo (or AOL or Google or Skype....) So this should give a lot more people the ability to communicate.

The clients here are "public betas" that work with the latest versions of the companies' products, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. You can add contacts from the other service to your buddy list, just using an "@" sign as in e-mail.

Windows Live Messenger (see our review here) is essentially the new update to what has been MSN Messenger. The new name is consistent with Microsoft's new "Live" push for most of its online brands. I'm still far from convinced on the naming change - MSN stays as the brand for "edited content" - like the MSN home page, but nearly all the new services are now called "Live". I'm not sure that has any brand association at all at this point. We'll see if Microsoft can change that by introducing new services and the inevitable new ad campaign. But given the amount of money the company spent on MSN and its "butterfly," the reason for the switch remains a big question to me.

The new service has an upgraded video chat service that seems pretty good (though not up to the best standalone video clients, notably SightSpeed), and easy access to your Live Mail or Hot Mail contacts.

On another note, the video service is "powered by Logitech" but on the other hand Microsoft has just released a line of new web cameras, called LifeCam, which is optimized for the service. My favorite desktop camera is still the high-end Logitech Orbit which has a motor and face-tracking software, but Microsoft's high-end LifeCam VX-6000 really does deliver a very nice image, and has an interesting one-touch button for posting pictures to Windows Live Spaces. I'm not sure that's how I'd blog, but it is different.

Another feature I like is sharing folders, which lets you share a folder on your computer with specific contacts on your contact list. This is a nice easy way of sharing large files, like photos, without putting them on a public web site. Microsoft is also working with cordless phones from Uniden and Phillips, though I haven't tried these.

The latest version of Yahoo! Messenger with Voice, as the name implies, has had voice calling for some times. The latest version adds a new API and a plug-in architecture, with makes it easier for other companies to extend the client.

The plug-in architecture seems like a great way for other businesses to add things to the client. For instance, Amazon.com has a plug-in for sharing a "wish list" (that could be expensive....)

There's a eBay Plug-In for watching eBay listings and monitoring bidding activity; a plug-in for comparing Yahoo! Calendars, and one for playing Launchcast radio stations.

Other recent changes include a larger file transfer limit (1 gigabyte), and some sound effects, including the ability to use your MP3 files as a background sound that your contacts can hear.

Both products are getting better, and that's a step in the right direction. It's particularly interesting to see all the IM clients trying to make their voice features better, in an effort to compete with Skype; and adding video calling, which is cool.

The movement towards interoperability between Yahoo and Microsoft for chat is a good one, but its' just a first step. I hope it doesn't take nearly so long to make this a "final" product as opposed to a beta; and to add in chat services from AOL, Google, and Skype.

Of course, ideally, you'd like to be able to do it all -- chat, voice, and video calling -- among all the clients. I'm afraid that's still a long way off.

Michael J. Miller's Forward Thinking Blog: forwardthinking.pcmag.com
Michael J. Miller is chief information officer at Ziff Brothers Investments, a private investment firm. From 1991 to 2005, Miller was editor-in-chief of PC Magazine, responsible for the editorial direction, quality and presentation of the world's largest computer publication.
Until late 2006, Miller was the Chief Content Officer for Ziff Davis Media, responsible for overseeing the editorial positions of Ziff Davis's magazines, websites, and events. As Editorial Director for Ziff Davis Publishing since 1997, Miller took an active role in...
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